The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1887-01-25
A SHREWD SWINDLER.
CROWDS OF VICTIMS MOURN A "FA-
KRIS" ACQUAINTANCE.
He Gives Them Warning and Then Pro
ceeds to Gather in Their Cash
Chains and Watches Go Or Like Hot
Cakes.

He Gives Them Warning and Then Pro-
ceeds to Gather in Their Cash
Chains and Watches Go or Like Hot
Cakes.
A victim appeared the other afternoon
at the city hail, in a vague search for re.
dress He related the actions of a street
"fakir" who succeeded in quilting crowds
and winning dollars by sheer holiness
About the middle of last week a lively ap-
pearng man stood in buggy, beside a
vapOr light. in the square near the post
office. A crowd soon collected The
stranger drew out a sachel and took from
it q quantity of jewelry. With a smile, he
held up several watch chains, and said.
Gentlemen, l want to sell you some Jew
elry. Perhaps you think these are gold
but they are not They are good thin
to have, but they are not gold. Gentle
men, will sell you these chains for 81
each"
While talking he drew forth number
of bills, and folding them length wise Sc
cured them 70 his vest by passing them
through the buttonholes. The chain
glittered brightly under the flaring light
and the man WAS very jolly, blunt candia
and straightforward. One or two CT the
chains We're bought, and in one o: them
the stranger tied curious knot. He still
kept up his talking you must be
careful or I'll swindle YOU" he said,
laughingiy. This is my business, and
they say it is hard to beat a man at his
own tricks. These chains are not gold,
and don't want you to buy them unless
you really wish to do So"
More of the chains were sold, sEl finally
the stranger asked if some one IN the
crowd had not received a chain with a
knot IN it. The chain was passed up TO
him. Whipping 81 bill from button
hole, he passed it cIeverly into the knot
and tossed the money and chain back to
the owner. Still continuing his peculiar
remarks, at which the crowd laughed, he
sold chain after chain, right and left. In
some of them he tied one knot, in some
two, and in others three.
Finally he held up a beautiful, glitter
ing hunting case watch 'You fellows
think you're smart" he said. You think
this is a gold watch IL isn't. This is not
gold. Neither is il a watch. 1t is II goOd
thing ~ its way, but it is no watch. /
beg you not to buy it If you don't want it.
l will sell this for So" The crowd laughed
uprOarOusly, for the object il the
fakir's hand was Enthusiastically Il fine
looking timcpiece. He insisted, however,
that the object was no watch and begged,
with a comica look on his face, that al
who We're foolish enough to buy them
would not examine them until they
reached home. In half an hour he sold
in this manner large number OF watches
and chains. Finally he exclaimed. "Oh,
believe | knOtted some of the chains You
needn't seau them forward, gentlemen.
Those with one knot are for little men,
those with two for medium sized men,
and those with four and five for big men.
Now, gentlemen, | said those were not
Observe ma -
He held one of the watches over his
head, opened the case, and to the as ton
ishmert of all, passed his finger com
pleteIy through the dial and where The
works should have been. The cases were
of thin metal, stamped in the proper
form, and the dials were merely paste
board, but the deception was clever The
chains were worth about 10 cents each
Lifting his hat politely, the smiling fakir
said, "Good-evening, gentlemen" eXtin-
gTished the light, and drove away. The
fakir then went to Michigan street, near
Ontario, and held forth for half an hour
with great profit to himself. Then he
went to the west side, near the market
house, where he sold more of his jewelry
to the amused people. Here he sold his
watches for S. and one of them is said to
be in the pocket of prominent west side
physician. The iakir staid no more than
half an hour in any one place and prob
ably left the city at once. The victim
was informed that the humorous seller Of
jewelry could not be reached by the law,
as he had made no false pretenses. --Cleve-
land Leader.